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Don’t forget about the potholes

A pothole in the vicinity of La Horquette Road in Glencoe was the source of major traffic gridlock coming out of the Chaguaramas peninsula yesterday morning. Among those caught in the jam were hundreds of partygoers returning from a Carnival event in the area.

It was not too long ago that Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan announced the start of a major pothole eradication exercise, with particular focus on the major parade routes for mas bands. Clearly, no attention was paid to other locations of activities that draw large crowds with their accompanying vehicles.

Chaguaramas is not only the location for more than one event venue but can also be the point of departure for some of the party cruises that are so popular, particularly at this time of the year. It certainly was a major faux pas on the part of the authorities that all their effort and attention was directed to imposing all sorts of parking restrictions, including limiting vehicular access to the peninsula during some events, and completely overlooked the need for proper physical infrastructure, including properly paved roads.

Since there are plans to develop Chaguaramas into a major entertainment and recreational hub, these are issues that must be addressed now.

Are seabridge solutions in sight?

Overshadowing the good news that the new vessel recently acquired for the seabridge, the Galleons Passage, is likely to set sail today, are the latest problems on the route with the only passenger ferry currently operating being pulled from service. The official position is that this is because of the rough sea conditions currently being experienced between the two islands but there are suspicions that there are other issues related to non-renewal of insurance for the vessel.

Generally there is heavy traffic between Trinidad and Tobago over the Carnival period, so this situation could not have come at a more inconvenient time.

After close to a year of chaos on the seabridge, some relief from the constant breakdowns and cancellation of sailings is overdue.

Non-stop revelry from today

Officially, Carnival 2018 does not actually begin until the moment, sometime around 4 am on Monday, when Port-of-Spain Mayor Joel Martinez proclaims the start of the reign of the Merry Monarch to kick off J’Ouvert celebrations in the nation’s capital. However, for all intents and purposes, five full days of revelry gets going today, Carnival Friday.

To all who will be part of the pre-Lenten festivities, have a safe and enjoyable Carnival.